Kim Shattuck on Pixies exit: ‘I would have preferred it if they told me face to face’

Kim Shattuck has discussed her exit from Pixies for the first time, revealing that she was told the news over the phone by the band's manager.

Shattuck was relieved of her duties as bass player in the band in November after joining in the summer as replacement for founding member, Kim Deal. Speaking in this week's NME, which is available digitally and on newsstands now, Shattuck reveals that she was not expecting to leave the band, having agreed verbally to tour with them into 2014.

Kim Shattuck has discussed her exit from Pixies for the first time, revealing that she was told the news over the phone by the band’s manager.

Shattuck was relieved of her duties as bass player in the band in November after joining in the summer as replacement for founding member, Kim Deal. Speaking in this week’s NME, which is available digitally and on newsstands now, Shattuck reveals that she was not expecting to leave the band, having agreed verbally to tour with them into 2014.

“I was surprised. Everything had gone well, the reviews were all good and the fans were super-nice about everything. They were like, ‘We love you, New Kim!’,” she says. “We said goodbye at the airport and the following morning the manager called me and said: ‘The band has made the decision to go with another bass player.’ I was shocked.”

Speculating as to why she may have been replaced, Shattuck says: “I get the feeling they’re more introverted people than I am. Nobody really talked about deep issues, at least out loud. There was a show at the Mayan in Los Angeles where I got overly enthusiastic and jumped into the crowd, and I know they weren’t thrilled about that. When I got offstage the manager told me not to do that again. I said, ‘Really, for my own safety?’ And he said, ‘No, because the Pixies don’t do that.'”

However, Shattuck does not bear a grudge toward Frank Black and his band mates: “I would have preferred it if they told me face to face as a group, but they’re nice people. I’m still a fan of the Pixies!”

Earlier this week it was confirmed that Paz Lenchatin will replace Shattuck for Pixies live dates in 2014, including headline slots at Primavera and Field Day.

Visit our dedicated features section, with plenty of our best long pieces archived there. You can find it here.

Uncut is now available as a digital edition! Download here on your iPad/iPhone and here on your Kindle Fire or Nook.